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"When will the children learn? No one escapes the reach of Madame Rouge. "
- Madame RougeOriginally aired: October 8, 2005 Written by Amy Wolfram
Directed by Matt Youngberg
The Brotherhood of Evil has begun its master plan to eliminate all of the young superheroes around the globe, starting with honorary Titans Wildebeest and Hotspot. This new threat brings Robin to Morocco. But with an unknown enemy, how can anyone know who to trust?
Dee Bradley Baker as Thief/Wildebeest
Bumper Robinson as Hotspot
Glenn Shadix as The Brain, Monsieur Mallah
Hotspot and Wildebeest last appeared in WINNER TAKE ALL.
Story Editor/Writer Rob Hoegee on the fifth season: “The original idea was to rebrand the show a little bit and open up the world a little bit. I think we ended up sticking to conventions to some degree. But we also thought it might be time to bring in some new, fresh faces. It’s gonna be a bigger and broader season. I think it may be the most cohesive in terms of a season arc. A good number of the episodes interlink with the next. There is a common theme to them. The stakes are high not only for the Titans, but for all young heroes across the globe. We definitely go global this season. I would say the best tease for season five was Amy Wolfram’s way of defining it, which is “Anything happening everywhere."
Hot Spot is based on the Teen Titan known as Joto in the comic book series; Joto is swahili for heat. Joto became a member of the reformed second group of Teen Titans in TEEN TITANS [second series] #1 [1996]. In this episode, Joto appears 'powered down' for the first time. His human form looks much like his comic book secret identity.Wildebeest was originally a mysterious villain dressed in a Wildebeest costume who first appeared in NEW TEEN TITANS #36-37 [1987]. Later, it was revealed there was a whole Wildebeest Society; To that end, the original Wildebeest, who became the Society's leader, created the clever strategy of permitting only one member to be seen in public at any one time. The Society was defeated by the Titans, leaving them with a baby Wildebeest in NEW TITANS #85 [1992]. Baby Wildebeest was a genetic experiment created by the evil society. The docile baby would hulk-out to a giant Wildebeest creature to defend his newfound friends, the Titans.
Madame Rouge has an interesting backstory in the comic books. As a stage actress, Laura De Mille was infamous for her ability to assume almost any persona, using her skill with makeup. Unfortunately, Laura received a blow to her head in an auto accident, which caused her to develop a split personality. The Brain offered to have Mallah perform some curative surgery on Laura. It was a success; instead of being half-good/half-evil, Laura was now completely evil - a result the Brain had engineered in advance. Her disguise ability gave her high position in the Brotherhood of Evil. These events were revealed in flashback in DOOM PATROL #112 [1967]. Later, the Brain gave Laura powers of true disguise, which included the ability to mold her features and stretch her body in DOOM PATROL #90 [1964]. Madame Rouge eventually began to exhibit signs of her old personality disorder, only this time she started acting out her nobler instincts. On several occasions, she acted covertly against the Brotherhood to foil schemes that would have destroyed the Doom Patrol. But later she reverted to evil and died while fighting the Teen Titans in NEW TEEN TITANS #15 [1982].
Rouge often used her disguise abilities to gain a sense of trust before striking, as seen in this episode.
For more information on the comic book versions of the characters - including many images - visit titanstower.com's meeting room page.
The season arc begins in earnest! The series is going out on a limb this season - with episodes that don't feature the five main stars. Here, we revisit Hotspot, last seen in WINNER TAKE ALL. The episode starts out fine, with Madame Rouge tracking down poor Wildebeest. The scene with Mallah and Brain playing chess also unfolded nicely. But once Rouge confronts Hotspot and poses as Robin, things begin to drag.Madame Rouge is a great villain - and she's used well here. But the middle of this episode just flounders. There's nothing really new happening in the middle act. Since this episode is called "Trust," I'm surprised we didn't see Madame Rouge playing more shape-shifting mindgames with Robin and Hotpot - leaving the heroes [and the viewer] doubting who to believe. As it stands, it's pretty straightforward. The viewer knows exactly what Rouge is doing [and who she is] until perhaps the last bit at the end.
There's nothing particularly wrong with the episode. It could have benefited from more plot twists or a B-story with Starfire and the crew looking for Wildebeest. For a globe-spanning story, TRUST really doesn't go anywhere new. Grade: B-
provided by John The Artist